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Public praying for ailing Mandela in hospital for unspecified tests

By Jon Gambrell -
Associated Press -
Sunday, December 9, 2012

JOHANNESBURG — Inside a Catholic church that once served as a major rallying point for anti-apartheid activists, the image of a gray-suited Nelson Mandela appears in a stained-glass window that also features angels and the cross.

Worshippers here prayed Sunday for the hospitalized 94-year-old former president, who remains almost a secular saint and a father figure to many in South Africa, a nation of 50 million people that has Africa's top economy.

Mr. Mandela's admission to the hospital this weekend for unspecified medical tests sparked screaming newspapers headlines and ripples of fear in the public that the frail leader is fading further away.

And as his African National Congress political party stands ready to pick its leader who likely will be the nation's next president, some believe governing party politicians have abandoned Mr. Mandela's integrity and magnanimity in a seemingly unending string of corruption scandals.

That leaves many wondering who can lead the country the way the ailing Mandela once did.

"When you have someone that's willing to lead by example like he did, it makes things easier for people to follow," said Thabile Manana, who worshipped Sunday at Soweto's Regina Mundi Catholic church. "Lately, the examples are not so nice. It's hard. I'm scared for the country."

Mr. Mandela, who spent 27 years in prison for fighting racist white rule, became South Africa's first black president in 1994 and served one five-year term.

The Nobel Peace laureate later retired from public life to live in his remote village of Qunu, in the Eastern Cape area, and last made a public appearance when his country hosted the 2010 World Cup soccer tournament.

On Saturday, the office of President Jacob Zuma announced Mr. Mandela had been admitted to a Pretoria hospital for medical tests and care that was "consistent for his age."

Mr. Zuma visited Mr. Mandela on Sunday morning at the hospital and found the former leader to be "comfortable and in good care," presidential spokesman Mac Maharaj said in a statement.

Mr. Maharaj offered no other details about Mr. Mandela, nor what medical tests he had undergone since entering the hospital.

In February, Mr. Mandela spent a night in a hospital for a minor diagnostic surgery to determine the cause of an abdominal complaint. In January 2011, he was admitted to a Johannesburg hospital for what officials initially described as tests but what turned out to be an acute respiratory infection.

Mr. Mandela has had other health problems. He contracted tuberculosis during his years in prison and had surgery for an enlarged prostate gland in 1985. In 2001, Mr. Mandela underwent seven weeks of radiation therapy for prostate cancer, ultimately beating the disease.

While South Africa's government has offered no details about where Mr. Mandela is receiving treatment, the military has taken over his medical care since the 2011 respiratory infection.

At 1 Military Hospital in Pretoria on Sunday, the facility that previously cared for Mr. Mandela in February, soldiers set up a checkpoint to search vehicles heading into the hospital's grounds. A convoy of cars with flashing lights and sirens entered the hospital grounds Sunday afternoon.

Mr. Mandela's hospitalization quickly dominated news coverage in South Africa, where most have been focused on the upcoming ANC national convention later this month in Mangaung.

There, the party that has governed South Africa since Mr. Mandela's election will pick either pick a new leader or re-elect Mr. Zuma to helm the organization. Becoming leader of the ANC means a nearly automatic ticket to becoming the president in post-apartheid South Africa.